Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences becomes a learned academy

The AAHMS is celebrating its official recognition as a learned academy — the first new one in 45 years.

Professor Ingrid Scheffer, president of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences. Picture: Paul Burston

Health and medical science advocacy has received a substantial boost with the official recognition of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences as a learned academy with annual commonwealth funding of $500,000.

AAHMS also becomes the fifth full member of the Australian Council of Learned Academies, joining the academies of science, social sciences, humanities, and technology and engineering.

It is the first new member since the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering joined in 1976.

AAHMS, which has 425 fellows, gives health and medical science experts a critical mass and a unified voice when providing advocacy to government, the academy’s president, laureate professor and University of Melbourne Austin Health paediatric neurologist Ingrid Scheffer said.

“Our recent work has been pivotal in guiding the nation’s pandemic response through our Covid-19 expert committee, as well as providing evidence on health impacts to the Senate bushfire inquiry, and supporting early and mid-career researchers,” Professor Scheffer said.

“One of our other initiatives is around climate change, which was begun before the bushfires but was strengthened by the bushfire crisis.”

Legislation establishing the AAHMS as a learned academy under HESA passed both houses of parliament a few months ago.

It followed an assessment by the federal government and an ACOLA recommendation based on criteria such as it fostering and promoting academic and professional excellence in its field at a level of national importance; its rigorous process for electing members and fellows; and its independent and nonpartisan approach to research and advice.

When the AAHMS was founded in 2014, patron Sir Gustav Nossal noted that learned academies dated back to Britain’s Royal Society in the 17th century.

Commenting on the AAHMS achieving learned academy status, inaugural president Ian Frazer said it “mentors the next generation of clinician researchers, champions evidence-based best practice, and provides vital advice to government”.

ACOLA and its members received $5.7m annual funding in the 2021-22 federal budget under the Department of Education, Skills and Employment Higher Education Research Promotion scheme.